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So here I am! After quite a journey, both physically and metaphysically, I am writing to you from a wonderful old log cabin, nestled between a huge forest and a large salt water lake or Fjord. In view of the student house Talevana- my home for the next nine months. (See ‘Media’ page for photo’s).
Autumn is already here- the leaves seemed to transform over night from a deep green to a mix of yellows, oranges and reds and we can already feel winter fast approaching, with the cold winds and sporadic snow showers… Yes that’s right Snow- in mid October!

I feel perfectly at home…as though this is where I’m meant to be, where I belong for the next year and it’s a wonderful feeling; to wake up each morning in the perfect setting surrounded by wonderful and inspiring people, cant be far off Utopia. Its been exactly eight weeks today since I arrived and I already feel like I have learnt so much- like all the effort to get me here was already worth these first encounters with the course, thus I am totally excited for the next steps.

With so many wonderful experiences already both within the course and outside of it, including hour long stints in the Sauna before all submerging ourselves in the icy cold Fjord. Climbing onto the platform in the middle of the forest in the early hours to watch the sun rise and trying to explain to a Swedish bus driver that I don’t want a lift to England, I simply came from there..

In the first weeks we got to know each other and the area- It’s a wonderful place, so many local based initiatives and a hub of biodynamic‘s- from the growers to the shops, bakeries and restaurants, producers and health clinics all attached to the antroposophical movement with a local network of support- “Think Global Act Local”.

We had two weeks of craft village where in groups we built fantastic structures and completed projects, that without the inspiration and preparation would undoubtedly have taken weeks to complete, but we managed them in only several days.
We then moved on to the main content of the course; we had workshops with Egard Gouveia Junior from Brazil, who talked about his Community Development work in poor Favela’s and urban areas in Brazil- whilst introducing us to the “World Café” and “Open Space” community building techniques.
We then had a intensive workshop on the newly arisen Theory U Concept, with Swedish Psychotherapist Philip Backmo before having a motivating and inspiring week with Orland Bishop a mentor in Los Angeles who has devoted his life to working with individuals in some of the USA’s most notorious gangs- helping them to leave behind the gang culture and mentality where most don’t expect to live beyond the age of 25.
Our last workshop was with Slava Theatre (a major Scandinavian theatre group) where we work with song and movement improvisation.

That brings me almost up to this moment here, as the sun begins to set over the Fjord leaving a yellow stream of sunlight glistening across the calm water as I head back up the path to dinner with people who on the first day were complete strangers, who swifty became great friends and who now I consider some of my closest family.

N.B.
I’m not quite sure what form this Blog will take, I see it as a space to inform you of activities, experiences, a place for moments of creativity but please don’t hesitate to ask for more in depth questions about anything as I would love to write more, just don’t want to put readers off by the length of the size blog posts I could quite easily produce . Comments, suggestions and questions most warmly welcome =]